The Princess Review: An Instant Princess with a Chivalry Spirit. Joey King's action as a formidable princess in an ordinary fairy tale.
“The Princess” (2022) is the latest Hulu Original film that can now be streamed on Disney+ Hotstar. Starring Joey King, she plays a princess who is betrothed to guarantee the heir to the throne in her kingdom. When he refuses to marry Julius (Dominic Cooper), he must accept the consequences that threaten the safety of his family and kingdom. However, Julius may have started the suppression with the wrong daughter.
Quite trending in the media before its release, "The Princess" looks to have a badass princess concept that it wants to serve. Breaking the image of princesses in the medieval universe who are usually graceful and weak. Always a victim to be saved, as well as trophies to be won.
In fact, this film gives the expectation of a cliché princess fairy tale. Glorifying women's emancipation and feminism which now has a new definition, girl power . Honestly, most of us probably didn't have high expectations for this film. Will “The Princess” be able to prove itself as a formidable princess fairy tale that presents a new story?
Exciting Fighting Sequences with Detailed Choreography
“The Princess” will at least surprise us with its action elements. For fans of full action films with scenes of fighting repeatedly, this film might be an adrenaline-pumping entertainment.
The film with a duration of approximately one and a half hours is dominated by varied fighting action scenes. Duel and group fight choreography has a very detailed direction. The fall is indeed quite repetitive, but at least there are always new weapons and choreography presented at every opportunity.
Joey King displays his potential as an action actress to the fullest. You can see his effort and hard work in realizing every fighting scene he is a part of. Starting from swinging a sword, to strategizing with limited sources of help. Besides King, two other actresses, Ngo Thanh Van and Olga Kurylenko also performed optimally in every fighting scene. Especially when all three are fighting in one room. This scene is the best fighting scene in "The Princess".
The Princess's Transformation as a Knight Instantly
The only transformation that attracted Joey King in “The Princess” was his wedding gown transformation. Gradually transformed into the look of a knight who was both formidable and charming. Will be reminiscent of the wedding gown transformation in the thriller “Ready or Not” (2019). But the development of the princess's character was instant.
Although in the promotion we have been given an overview of the badass princess concept , the film should be able to provide a more in-depth background story. The audience seemed to be forced to marvel at this formidable princess just because she was skilled in fighting. He did not want to be an ordinary princess who was used as a trophy to marry. At this point similar story points are already generic. There are also many tough princesses who have become icons in today's pop culture.
When we wonder, why this one princess can fight? We're just going to be taken to a flashback scene where he trains with his maid. All answers are instant and feel one dimensional. Even some of the characters look like they are only there to complete the story. Many elements in this film look like a soulless dummy , because there is no deep characterization.
Lifeless Medieval Storyline
“The Princess” has a medieval universe as a setting that feels empty. There are a lot of generic settings that scriptwriters shouldn't miss. Starting from the background of the kingdom, the background of the king and queen, to the background of the antagonist; Julius and Moira, plunder the kingdom with no clear rules of the game.
This film wants to present the image of a new tough princess, which is more in favor of the girl power trend in the modern era. But the pattern of stories and plots adapted is outdated. Starting from the opening, the conflict, to the end of the story. Overall very biased with the protagonist and has a predictable ending.
The first chapter of “The Princess” feels like a middle scene in a story. Where the princess suddenly was good at fighting. Why could annulment alone be such a big looter? What was the king's contribution before it finally fell in the hands of Julius? The plot of the story seems to be impatient to show the action of the princess. Without knowing the antagonist too deeply, it makes the audience quickly bored and lazy in listening to the ongoing conflict.
In the end, "The Princess" can present many exciting fighting scenes. Joey King also gave a fighting performance with a spirit that was clearly seen as a tough princess. Unfortunately, there are many elements in “The Princess” that look like lifeless fantasy fabrications.